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Denier - Otto III as emperor, Verona mint
| Issuer | Italy, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 996-1002 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.22 g |
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| Obverse description | Central cross within a beaded inner circle, the arms of the cross extending to the inner border and dividing the field into four quadrants. The imperial legend OTTO INPERATOR is disposed around the inner circle in a circular arrangement, filling the field between the inner beaded ring and the irregularly shaped outer rim. The lettering is rendered in bold, somewhat crude Carolingian-influenced capitals typical of Ottonian hammered coinage. The flan is irregular and slightly broader than the die, a characteristic feature of late tenth-century Italian deniers. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | OTTO INPERATOR (Translation: Emperor Otto.) |
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| Additional information |
Otto III held Verona as a strategically critical gateway between the German kingdom and Italy, and the city's mint operated under imperial authority throughout his reign. He was crowned emperor in Rome in 996 at around sixteen years old — the youngest emperor to receive the title in centuries — and his Italian monetary presence was part of a deliberate program to reassert Ottonian control over the peninsula after years of instability under his mother Theophanu's regency.
The CNI VI references place this piece within a small die grouping with minor legend variations between the two cited specimens.